Stooking machine



Filed Jan. 4, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 16, 1941. I w, TORRANCE 2,266,667

STOCKING MACHINE F- VV. TURRHIUIE E g xmfi WWW}? Fl-lzbcrr'ngig Dec. 16, 1941. F. w. TORRANCE STOOKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 4, 1940 twin e IITUBITLIJI' F. W T URRHNEE in Patented Dec. 16, 1941 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,266,667 strooKINe MACHINE Frank William Torrance, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Application January 4, 1940, Serial N0.-312,414

Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in stooking machines, particularly of the type adapted to be attached to binders and an object of the invention is to devise an improved stooker in which the sheaves of grain are fedthereinto in an inclined position approaching the horizontal and formed into a stook which under manual control is subsequently automatically upended and deposited onto the ground.

A further object is to construct a machine which will carry out its respective operations automatically for each cycle with exception of the manual control for the mechanism for upending the stook.

A further object is to' provide for the accurate, uniform and even alignment of the butt ends of the sheaves as they are formed into a stook in the basket of the machine so that the stook is formed with an even base upon which to stand when it is discharged from the machine onto the ground.

A still further object is to devise adjustable means for compressing the head end of the stock as it is upended and insuring the formation of a stock which is firmly packed and properly shaped so that when it is discharged it will hold its form and shape and will stand firmly upon the ground under all weather conditions, and in which the individual sheaves forming the stook will be efficiently disposed within the stook was to resist derangement.

Another object is to devise a mechanism for operating the basket for the forming and depositing of the'stook' whereinin each cycle of operations provision is made in the basket driving mechanism for a momentary stop in the movement of the basket as it upends and deposits the stookupon the ground to allow the basket to clear the deposited stook as the machine advances and before the basket returns to its loadingposition.

A further object is to provide for the adjustment as to length of the" basket in which the stooks are formed, as may be desired, depending upon the length of the sheaves being handled.

A further object is to facilitate the discharge of the stook from th'e'machine and its setting upright upon the ground, by arranging the stook handling mechanism, so that during the operation of discharging the stook; it is supported entirely by being gripped laterally within the basket itself and without the use of cables or other auxiliary devices and with no supporting parts below the base of the stook such as forks or tines,

which when withdrawn have a tendency to upset the stook.

A further object is to provide a stooker of the type described which will have great strength to resist torsional strain and in which, due to an improved frame construction and method of attachment to the binder, the accurate alignment of the Various parts will bemor perfectly maintained than hitherto and the stooker mechanism will be more perfectly held in its correct operative disposition relatively to the binder amine ground and in which the natural tendency of'the stooker to upset either backwardly or forwards will be effectively resisted.

A further object is to save the loose grain cast on by the binderiand insure that it will be embodied in the stook. 7

With the above and other objects in view which will hereinafter appear asthe spe'cificatien pro ceeds my invention, in its preferred embodiment, consists ofthe construction and arrangement, all as hereinafter more particularly described and" illustrated in the accompanying drawings in' which:

Fig. 1 represents a top plan view of my machine showing the basket in the sheaf receiving position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation also showing the basket in the sheaf receiving position.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation showing the basket in the same positionaslFigs) l and 2 Fig. 4 is asimilar view to Fig. 2' only showing the basket in the stook releasing position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan View showing the basket in the same position as Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the mechanism for compressing the stook.

Fig. 7 is a partial front elevation'indicating" the basket drive from the driving land wheel.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged top plan view of the gears and clutch employed in the driving mechanism;

Fig. 9- is a fu rther enlarged section taken on the line 99 (Fig. 8) illustrating the clutch of the driving mechanism for driving the conveyor for elevating the sheaves to be stooke'cl to the basket.

Fig. 10 is a further enlarged section takenon the line |@l0 (Fig. 8) illustrating the clutch of the driving mechanism for actuating the basket.

. Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectionalview of the conveyor taken on the line IIH (Fig. 4), and p v Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sideelevational view of the side end of the machine adjacent thebin der showing means for tilting it longitudinally about its transverse axis and for raising or lowering such side end of the machine to compensate for different heights of binder deck.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different views of the drawings, the direction of travel of the machine being indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 8.

A stooking' machine constructed according to my invention comprises a horizontal transverse main frame member consisting of a tubular beam 1 from which is suitably suspended the remain ing framework of the machine, said main tubular beam adapted to be attached to the binder (not shown} at one end by the braces 2, 3 and 4, the other end of said beam being provided with a stub axle 5 upon which a land wheel 6 is rotatably 'mounted, such land wheel constituting the driving wheel for the stooker mechanism. The arm 4 extends from its point of connection with the main frame of the stooker to the forward end of the binder.

An aligning shield in the form of a butt plate 1 extends upwardly from the beam I the full width of the basket and inclines forwardly from bottom to top. A horizontal shaft 8 journalled in bearings 9 on the forward face of the butt plate I carries at its ends the bail arms II].

The basket comprises two spaced apart side members II inclined outwardly in a forward direction and inwardly in an upward direction, these side members II being mounted upon a U- shaped frame I2 to which they are rigidly secured by welding. The rear ends of the members II are welded directly to the rear or central transverse arm of the U-shaped frame I2 while adjacent their forward ends they are welded to arms extending inwardly from the side arm of the U-shaped frame I2. The legs of the frame I2 are adjustably and telescopically received into channel members I3, the forward ends of which are provided with brackets I4 which in turn are pivoted to brackets I5 on the free ends of the bail arms ID.

This telescopic manner of mounting the U- shaped frame I2 supporting the basket side members I I provides for the adjustment of these basket side members II towards or away from the butt plate I to increase or decrease the effective length of the basket as may be desired.

For convenience of reference in the description, and considering thebasket in its sheaf receiving position as shown in Fig. 2, the members I I will be designated as the side walls of the basket, the rear end which is the smaller end will be designated as the rear end of the basket, the forward end which is the larger end will be designated as the front end of the basket, while the top and bottom openings in the side walls, 1. e. the longitudinal openings formed between the opposed longitudinal edges of the members I I, will be designated as the top and bottom openings in the basket wall. These latter openings are those in the basket wall through which respectively the sheaves are introduced from the conveyor into the basket and the stock is discharged from the basket when the bottom door is swung open as will later be described.

Each channel member I3 is provided with a perpendicularly extending bracket I6 to which a link I1 is pivotally connected at one end. The other end of the link I1 is pivotally connected at A to an end of a second link I8 which has its opposite end pivotally connected to a perpendicular bracket I9 on the corresponding bail arm Ill. A

third link 20 is pivotally connected at A to the links I! and I8 and its other end is pivotally connected to the butt plate I in the vicinity of its upper end.

Forwardly extending bearings 2| are provided on the forward face of the butt plate I for a transverse shaft 22. One end of the shaft 22 carries a sprocket Wheel 23 provided with a wrist pin 24 connected to one end of a connecting rod 25, the other end of which is pivotally connected to a bracket 26 on a bail arm [0. The other end of the shaft 22 carries a crank 21 which is pivotally connected by a connecting rod 28 to a bracket 29 on the other bail arm ID. A tension spring 3%] is connected to each bracket 26 and 29 and to the butt plate.

Longitudinal shafts 3I at one end are pivotally journalled in bearings 32 on the inner faces of the basket side members I I and are provided with normally upwardly extending spaced fingers or tines 33 adjustably carried thereby for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. The rear ends of the shafts 3I carry cranks 34 having blocks 35 which slidably receive rods 36 pivotally connected at their lower ends to the base of the U-shaped frame I2. Spiral springs 31 and 38 are respectively mounted on such rods 36v above and below the blocks 35.

The basket bottom which, as will hereinafter appear, constitutes the door of the basket) consists of a frame 39 with diverging legs, the inclination of the legs corresponding to the inclination of the basket side members I I and with them forming the basket. Additional members M are provided on the basket bottom frame 39 exteriorly of the diverging legs thereof and in spaced relation outwardly from said legs being held in place at their free ends by spacers 4I. Forward and rear stub shafts 42 and 43 extend between the legs of the frame 39 and the members 4%. Canvas or other suitable material extends be-. tween the legs of the frame 39 and is supported by springs 44 connected at their ends to such legs. These springs provide a resilient support for the canvas and, therefore, for the stook in the basket and the tautness of this resilient support may be varied as desired by altering the strength or length or position or number of these springs. The frame 39 and parts carried thereby constitute what will be hereinafter referred to as the basket bottom.

A triangular shaped member 45 having one side extended to form an arm 46 is suspended by one corner from each shaft 3I by a link il'I pivotally connected to both the shaft and the member 45, and from each side member II by a link 43 pivotally connected to the side member and to a mid-point of the side of the member 45 which exshafts G3 on the basket bottom frame.

upended as will hereinafter be described.

Hinged struts for supporting the basket bottom,

in its open position are connected to the arms 49 and comprise portions 50 each pivotally connected? at one end to an arm 49 intermediately of its length and at its other end to the other strut: portion 5i intermediately of the length of the latter, the lower end of each portion 5i being notched at 5| and adapted to engage a pin 58 on the portion when the two portions are in alignment as illustrated in Fig. 4 and the upper end of each portion 5| being forked and pivotally connected to collars 52. Each portion 9| is pivotally mounted intermediately of its length on the stub shafts 42.

Rearwardly extending rods 93 are pivotally connected at their forward ends to the free ends of the bail arms I9 and extend freely through the collars 52. Spiral springs 54 and 55 are mounted on the rods 53 respectively between the collars 92 and the forward and rear ends of the rods. The rear ends of the rods 53 are pivotally connected by links 58 to the remaining corner of each triangular member 45. The springs 59 operate to swing the basket bottom upwardly into its open position as shown in Fig. 4, while the springs- 59 operate to swing it downwardly and return it to its closed position as shown in Fig. 2.

Latches 51 are pivoted on the side members I and each intermediately of its length has an adjustable link 58 pivotally connected at one end thereto. The free end of each link 58 is pivotally connected to a second link 59 which is in turn pivotally connected at its other end to the bail arm I9. Perpendicular projections 99 extending from the links 59 are adapted to engage the extremities of the bail arms I9 when the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 4.

Basket side member extensions 9| inclined to lie in the same planes as the basket side members I I are provided on the rear face of the butt plate I! being permanently attached thereto.

The butt plate 1 has a substantially vertical upward extension 62 with a portion extending down diagonally across the front of the machine and being secured to an inclined imperforate conveyor table 63 which has its high or discharge end superimposed above the stock forming basket, said table being secured in plate by any suitable means such as a bracket 94, and a brace 95. A plurality of spaced apart endless conveyor chains 99 provided with sheaf engaging hooks 61 extend over and under the table 63, around sprockets 98 journalled in bearings 69 on the table and over sprockets 19 secured on a transverse shaft ?l journalled on the underneath side of the table 93, said shaft also being provided with a driving sprocket I2. A grill flap I3 is provided on the receiving end of the table and is adjustable thereon being so located as to underlie the discharge end of the binder deck. Hinged rods I4 on a bracket secured to the table 93 are, due to their weight, adapted to press down on the conveyed sheaves and owing to having curved ends located over the basket guide the sheaves down thereinto.

The hooks 61 are preferably of L form and are hinged at their mid-points to the sides of the conveyor chain links. They are so arranged that when they pass off the table 63, they will swing so that their tines lie close to the chains, their bases being heavier than the tines.

' Angle plates I9 underlie the discharge end of the table and thus prevent the hooks swinging prematurely before they have discharged the sheaves from the conveyor. Lugs TI on the tines of the hooks engageable with the chains prevent the former from swinging past their proper retracted positions.

I will now describe the driving mechanism for operating the stooking basket and the conveyor. The land or driving wheel 6 carries a sprocket I8 connected by a chain 19 with a sprocket 89 carried on the protruding end of a shaft 8| journalled in a gear box 82. to drive alternatively, through the medium of clutches, a sprocket 83 or a bevel gear 84 both of which are normally free on such shaft. The bevel gear 84 meshes with another bevel gear 85 journalled on a stub shaft 89 in the gear box, which stub shaft is also provided with a sprocket 81 connected by a chain 88 with the conveyor drive sprocket I2, the sprocket 83 being connected by a chain 89 with the sprocket 23 for actuating the basket.

The clutches comprise a pair of flanged annular members 99 and 9| fixedly secured to the shaft SI and each having a series of notches 92 and '93 respectively in the internal faces of their flanges. These members 99 and 9| rotateconstantly with the shaft 8| and constitute the driving members for the basket and the conveyor respectively as will presently be more fully explained. A ratchet tooth wheel 94 is freely mounted on a hub between the driving member 9| and the driven bevel gear 84, such hub having a driving connection with the latter and also having a radially extending arm 99 to which is pivotally connected one end of a link 91, the other end of which receives the spindle 93 of a roller 99, which spindle is also received into an angularly disposed slot I99 in the web of the ratchet wheel 99. A tension spring |9| extends from the arm 99 to the web of the Wheel 94 in the vicinity of the outer end of the slot I99. The roller 99 is adapted to be received into one or other of the notches 93 in the driving member 9| and is normally held in operative driving engagement therein by the spring so long as the ratchet tooth wheel 94 is free to rotate. This corresponds to the engaged position of the conveyor clutch. Should this free rotation of the ratchet wheel 94 be interrupted, as periodically occurs during the operation of the machine, the roller 99 would then move out of driving engagement with any of the notches 93 of the driving clutch member 9! to open or disengage the conveyor clutch. Such mechanism constitutes the clutch for the conveyor drive, detailed operation of which will presently be more fully described.

Similarly in the case of the basket actuating mechanism, a hub I2 is freely mounted on the shaft 8| and has a radially extending arm I93, to the free extremity of which is pivoted a link I4 having the spindle I95 of a roller I6 rotatably mounted on its opposite end. One end of the spindle I95 is inserted into a slot I91 in an arm I98 having a single toothed free extremity and rotatably mounted on the hub I92. The end face of the hub I92 remote from the arm I93 has a quadrant dog I99 adapted to engage a quadrant dog I I9 on the boss 93 of the driven sprocket 83. It is to be noted that the quadrant dogs I99 and II 9 each occupy 90 of the circle, i. e. 189 combined, so that there is of the circle left clear. The'purpose of this clear arc is to permit the quadrant dog I I9, which is on the driven sprocket 83, to rotate freely away from and in advance of its driving member, i. e. the quadrant dog I99, through an arc of 189 of rotation under certain desired conditions during the operation of the machine as will presently be more fully described. A tension spring extends from the free end of the arm I9 to the free end of the arm I93. Consequently the roller I99 is normally held in operative driving engagement in one or other of the notches 92 in the member 99 so long as the arm I98 is free to rotate.

This corresponds to the engaged position of the The shaft 9| is adapted basket actuating clutch. Should this free'rotaticnof' the toothed arm I98 be interrupted as periodically occurs during the operation of the machine, the roller I06 would then move out of operative. driving engagement with any of the notches 92 in the driving clutch member 90 to open or disengage the basket actuating clutch. Such mechanism constitutes the clutch for the basket actuating drive, the detailed operation of which will presently be more fully described.

The operation of the clutches referred to above is controlled by manual means which comprises a bell-crank lever (see Figs. 8, 9 and 10) journalled on the side of the main beam I, one arm II2 of the bell-crank constituting a pawl normally spring-held in operative engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 94 by a spring I I3 and the other arm II4 of the bell-crank lever being provided with a stop block II5 threaded thereon and adapted to operatively engage the single toothed end of the arm I08. A pawl I I6 pivotally connected to the arm II4 intermediately of its length has its free end adapted to engage an abutment II'I secured to the shaft 8 upon which the bail arms I0 are mounted. A cable H8 extends from the pawl H9 to within reach of the operator of the binder and stooker.

In order to tilt the machine longitudinally relatively to the binder I hinge the brace 4 to a bracket II9 welded to and extending forwardly from the end of the main beam I and on such bracket I provide a forwardly extending lever I20 having a detent I2I adapted to engage a quadrant I22 extending upwardly from the brace 4.

To vary the height of the side end of the machine adjacent the binder, a lever I23 is pivoted at one end to the brace 3 and intermediately of its length to the bracket I I9 at the same point as the brace 4 is pivoted. The free end of the lever I23 extends forwardly and is provided with a detent I24 adapted to engage a quadrant I25 on the bracket II9.

My machine operates as follows:

Assuming that the machine is attached to the binder by the braces 2, 3 and 4 and the binder is being driven to cut the grain and form the sheaves which are discharged from the deck onto the conveyor flap I3 of the stooker, the parts of the latter will be in the positions indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 7 wherein the fingers 3-3 are retracted or raised into the open basket position and the conveyor clutch is engaged so that the conveyor drive is operating to convey the sheaves deposited onto the conveyor fiap I3 up the conveyor platform by means of the hooks 61 and to discharge such sheaves over the top of the platform into the stooking basket.

During such operation of the conveyor, the hook carrying chains 66 are driven from the land or driving wheel 6 through the medium of the sprocket I8, chain I9, sprocket 80, shaft 8!, clutch member 9!, through roller 99, spindle 98, link 9?, arm 99, hub 95, connected driven bevel gear 84, intermeshing bevel gear 85, sprocket 81, chain 88, sprocket I2, shaft 'II and sprockets '50. When the conveyor is thus being driven, the clutch driving member 9I is, as above described, operative-1y connected to the driven bevel gear 84. During this operation, the pawl I I6 is operatively engaged with the abutment Iil so that the bell crank lever is in the alternative position to that shown in Fig. 10, i. e. the bell crank lever is depressed against the action of its controlling spring wheel 94, while the stop block I I5 is held in operative locking engagement with the tooth of the arm I08, so that the ratchet wheel 94 is free to rotate and the toothed arm I08 is prevented from rotating. In this position the conveyor clutch is engaged and the basket actuating clutch is disengaged.

As long as the ratchet wheel 94 is thus free to rotate, the driving connection between the conveyor clutch member 9| and the driven bevel gear 84 is maintained through the medium of one of the notches 93, roller 99, spindle 98, link 91, radial arm 96 on the hub 95 and the hub of the bevel gear 84, the spindle 98 being spring-held by the spring IOI at the outer end of the slot I00 in the web of the ratchet wheel 94, thus retaining the roller 99 in operative driving engagement within a notch 93 in the clutch member 9|. Consequently the driving clutch member 9I will rotate the arm 96 and through the hub 95 will drive the connected bevel gear 84 which in turn drives the conveyor as above described.

The sheaves are introduced into the basket with their lower butt ends abutting the butt plate I which forms an important feature of my machine. This plate constitutes an aligning shield which insures that the lower ends of all sheaves, as they are assembled in the basket to form a stock, are in perfect alignment so as to provide an even base for the stock to stand upon which is obviously most desirable.

By making the conveyor table 63 imperforate any loose grain discharged by the binder will be swept upwardly by the sheaves being carried by V the conveyor as such loose grain cannot fall through the imperforate conveyor table so that it willbe delivered by the conveyor into the basket along with the sheaves. Such loose grain will be retained by the canvas bottom of the basket and will be preserved in the deposited stook. This conservation results in a very valuable saving of grain which would otherwise be lost.

When the stooking basket has received the requisite number of sheaves to form the stook, the operator pulls the cable I I8 which disengages the pawl IIB from the abutment II'I allowing the spring II3 to swing the bell-crank lever into the position shown in Fig. 10, so that the stop block H5 on its arm I I4 is disengaged from the toothed end of the arm I08 and the arm II2 constituting a pawl immediately engages a tooth of the ratchet wheel 94 stopping the rotation of the latter to disengage the conveyor clutch and consequently the operation of the conveyor mechanism. This occurs due to the fact that when free rotation of the ratchet wheel 94 is thus interrupted by engagement of the pawl II2 with a tooth thereof, the continued rotation of the clutch member 9| will cause the spindle 98 to move inwardly along the slot I00 in the web of the ratchet Wheel 94, carrying with it the roller 99 and withdrawing this roller from operative driving engagement with its notch 93 in the clutch member 9| and opening the conveyor clutch to disconnect the drive between the driving clutch member SI and the driven bevel gear 84 and consequently the conveyor. As long as the pawl I I2 thus restrains free rotation of the ratchet wheel 94, the roller 99 will be held clear of the notches 93 in the clutch member 9| as it cannotmake driving engagement therewith. Thus under these conditions the conveyor clutch will be open and the conveyor inoperative.

The above mentioned release of the stop block II5 from the toothed arm I08 permits the latter to rotate freely and consequently the spindle I55 which, through the medium of the link HM, is spring-held by the spring H I at the outer end of the slot I57 in such arm I 08 will retain the roller IE5 in operative driving engagement within a notch 92 in the clutch member 90, withthe result that such arm I58 will be driven therewith and the quadrant dog I55 on the hub I82 will, through the associated quadrant dog M on the sprocket 83, drive the chain 39 to revolve the sprocket 23, shaft 22 and crank 2'! from the position indicated in Fig. 2 to that indicated in Fig. 4, thus actuating the connecting rod 25 pivoted to the sprocket 23 and the corresponding connecting rod 28 pivotally connected to the crank 21 on the sprocket shaft 22. These corresponding connecting rods 25 and 28 being pivotally connected respectively to the brackets 26 and 29 on the bail arms H1, swing the same down in a counterclockwise and rearward direction and upend the basket from the inclined sheaf receiving position illustrated in Fig. 2 to the stock discharging position illustrated in Fig. 4.

During the swing down of the basket into the stock discharging position the rear end of the basket moves only a small extent, while the forward end swings through a substantial arc, the swinging being substantially about the pivot of the links H on the brackets I6. When such swing of the basket takes place the rods 53 move rearwardly through the collars 52 compressing the springs 54 which are provided to force the basket bottom (which constitutes the door of the basket) open when the latches 51 are released as will presently be explained. The rearward and upward movement of the rods 53, through the medium of the links 56, swings the triangular members 45 in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 6) and through the link 41 correspondingly draws the rear ends of the shafts 3| inwardly with respect to the basket about their bearings 32 at their forward ends and as the cranks 34 attached to the rear ends of the shafts 3| have rods 35 extending through their blocks 35 and normally spring-held in position by the springs 31 and 38, the shafts 31 will simultaneously withthis withdrawing of their rear ends be rotated in their bearings and the attached fingers 33 swing inwardly into the basket as illustrated in Fig. 5 to compress thestook in the basket,

A further compressing effect on the top end of the stook in the basket is provided due to the mounting of the triangular members 45. They are attached to the basket side member I l by the links 48 and are also pivotally connected to the?' stitute compression levers which, with their associated parts, operate during the upending of the basket to exert a compressing action on the top end of the stook whereby the fingers 33 are' turned inwardly of the basket upon the stock and also are drawn inwardly into the basket to press upon the top end of the stook, while simultaneously the rear end of the basket bottom is i forced inwardly into the basket to further compress the top end of the stook therein. In other words, the fingers 33 and the rear end of the basket bottom are forced inwardly towards each other into the rear end of the basket to compress, between them, the top end of the stock during the upending of the basket.

As the bail arms In reach the end of their swing in swinging the basket down into the stook discharging position, their free ends engage the projections 55 on the links 59 and swing the latter downwardly causing the connected links58 to release the latches 5'l from the spacers 4| on the forward end of the basket bottom frame 39 thus permitting the basket bottom to be swung rapidly upwardly under the influence of the compressed springs 55 to open the basket bottom, which opening is timed to occur substantially simultaneously with the depositing of the stook upon the ground.

It is to be noted that the basket bottom in opening swings upwardly about a horizontal axis adjacent to the rear end of the basket and in its upswung or open position it is elevated so as to be entirely above the top of the stook and thus to clear the deposited stook as the machine moves forwardly.

Owing to the provision of the connected arms 55 and 5! the basket bottom is held in such open position thereby as these arms come into alignment with each other and the notches 5m engage the pins 555; as is illustrated in Fig. 4.

The stook is discharged when the connecting rod 25 is approximately in the position illustrated in Fig. 4 and when due to the rotation of the sprocket wheel 23 the connecting rod 25 is swung over inner dead centre, such connecting rod and associated connecting rod 28 which is in a corresponding position at the other end of the shaft 22 will swing the bail arms I!) upwardly and forwardly restoring all the parts to their initial v52, so that the springs 55 will be compressed and will operate to swing the basket bottom downwardly into its closed position in which it will be locked by the latches 5'5. At the same time this movement of the rods 53 will turn the compression levers 55 in the opposite direction to that shown bythe arrow in Fig. 6, to return all the associated parts to the relative positions as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, in which operation the movement of all these parts will be the reverse of that which took place, as the bail arms [3 swung downwardly and rearwardly. The rear ends of 'the shafts 3! will be moved back to their original positions and simultaneously therewith the fingers 33 will be retracted or raised into their open basket positions as shown in Fig. 3, while at the same time the rear end of the basket bottom will be moved outwardly to return it also to its original position.

The springs operate to assist in this upward and forward swing of the bail arms [0 and in returning them and the relatively heavy basket and parts associated therewith to the loading or sheaf receiving position.

As the bail arms l5 swing to their uppermost positions, the abutment H! engages the free end of the hinged pawl H5 forcing the arm H4 of the bell-crank lever in a clockwise direction (Fig. 10) and causing the stop block H5 to again engage the tooth on the arm I58 which interrupts rotation of such arm and, therefore, renders the basket driving clutch inoperative. Simultaneously due to the swing of the bell-crank lever the pawl H2 is disengaged from the ratchet wheel 94 permitting the conveyor clutch to operate and the conveyor to feed further sheaves to the bas ket to be stocked.

In swinging the basket from the sheaf receiving position to the stook discharging position as above described, the driving dog Hi9 initially drives the driven dog II!) on the sprocket 83 until the connecting rods 25 and 28 swing over their outer dead centre positions when the weight of the basket and stook therein will cause the basket to swing down in advance of its drive. The driven dog H is free to turn through 180 in advance of its driving dog 199. At the completion of this swinging movement the dog I99 will again catch up to and make driving engagement with the dog H0 and elevate the basket to its sheaf receiving position.

Consequently it will be seen that the basket swings downwardly into its upended discharging position more quickly than or in advance of its driving mechanism and while its drive is catching up, the basket remains in its upended discharging position during this time interval. This time lag corresponds to about thirty inches of ground travel of the machine and is suiificient for the basket and its elevated bottom door to move forwardly clear of the deposited stook before the basket drive again becomes operative and. the basket begins to move upwardly into its loading position and the raised bottom door swings downwardly into its closed position.

In the operation of the stooker, the basket is actuated by the combined oscillation of the bail arms l0 and the system of arms pivotally associated with the basket, the bail arms, and the butt plate, all of which operate to rotate the basket substantially about its rear end so that there is very slight movement of this rear end of the basket while the front end of the basket swings downwardly through a much greater are so that the base of the stock swings down and rearwardly onto the ground. The forward motion of the machine is overcome by this rearward swing of the basket as the stook is deposited on the ground.

A feature of the present invention is the provision for adjusting the effective length of the basket to suit the length of sheaves being handled as it is found that for best operation there is a definite relationship between the basket length and the length of the sheaves.

The construction and operation and manner of mounting the lower door of the basket is important and operates very efiiciently. The frame of this door is hinged to swing about a transverse aXis adjacent to the rear end of the basket. The actual door itself is composed of canvas mounted upon the frame and which canvas forms the bottom closure for the basket. The canvas being supported by transverse underlying springs is held taut when the basket is empty and curves downwardly to the shape of the stook as the basket is filled.

Within reason it is desirable to have as wide a base on the stook as possible and this is very efiiciently accomplished in the present machine by the manner of compressing the top end of the stook which results in an expansion of the base. This compression of the top of the stook is accomplished by the manner in which the rear end of the basket bottom and the rear ends of the shafts 3| with the fingers 33 carried thereby are forced inwardly towards each other upon the top end of the stock as the basket and stock are upended preparatory to being deposited upon the ground. Formerly this enlarging of the base of the stook has been accomplished by mechanically expanding the base, as for instance by having means in the bottom portion of the basket for distributing the butts of the individual sheaves or bundles to give a wider base to the stook. This involved more mechanical complication in the machine and also made it more difficult to clear the stook as it was discharged from the stooker in being deposited upon the ground.

It is a feature of my machine that the stook is supported within the basket by being gripped entirely laterally, there being no supporting parts below the base of the stook, such as forks or tines which when withdrawn after the stook was deposited upon the ground had a tendency to disturb and upset the stook.

An important feature of the butt plate or aligning shield l is that it bears the same positional relationship to the basket when the latter is in the loading position as does the ground when the basket is upended into its discharging position and thus the stock, as formed in the basket, has its base positioned in exactly the most desirable position relatively to the basket and ground as it is deposited upon the ground.

In connection with the clutches in the conveyor drive and basket drive, it might be well to point out that the ratchet wheel 94 and arm I08 with its single tooth are corresponding and equivalent parts, the ratchet wheel 94 performing exactlyv the same function in the conveyor drive as does the toothed arm I08 in the basket drive, viz. that of controlling the opening and closing of the clutches in their respective drives. In the case of the basket clutch only one tooth is required on the arm I08 as this clutch is always opened at one and the same point, i. e. when the basket is raised into its loading position. In the case of the conveyor clutch, however, teeth must be provided all around the ratchet wheel 94 so that the conveyor clutch may be opened to stop the conveyor by pulling the cable I I8 at any point as soon as the desired number of sheaves have been introduced into the basket to form a stook of the desired size. It will, of course, be understood that these clutches operate alternately and as soon as one is opened the other automatically and simultaneously is closed. This controlling of the conveyor and basket drive clutches is the sole function of the ratchet wheel 94 and toothed arm I 08.

The object of compressing the stock in the basket is to form a stook which is firmly packed and properly shaped so that when it is deposited upon the ground it will hold its form and shape and. stand properly upright. A loosely formed or improperly shaped stock will not do this. In a properly formed stook, all the sheaves help to support each other in the stook and if some sheaves are removed or disturbed in setting the stook it will seriously interfere with the ability of the stock to stand properly. It is for this reason that it is most important that the stook after being properly formed and compressed in the basket must be discharged therefrom and deposited upon the ground without being in any way disturbed or deranged and this is most perfectly accomplished in my improved machine.

A feature of my improved machine is the making of the transverse main frame member I ape-ace? in the form of a tubular section which results in very great rigidity in the machine to resist torsional strains and overcomes to'a great extent tains the machine parts in most perfect position and alignment.

During the operation of the stooker, there is a strong torsional strain tending to upset the machine rather than to oscillate the basket. 'The arm 4 which runs from the mainframe l of the stooker to the forward end of the binder very effectively resists this upsetting. The machine is inclined to be naturally top heavy, and the arm 4 prevents it from tipping as above mentioned.

In connection with the stocking basket it will be noted that the side members ll consist of opposed, spaced apart, divergent plates which form the side walls of the basket and form between their opposed, spaced apart, longitudinal edges, longitudinal top and bottom openings in the basket wall, for which longitudinal top and bottom openings hingedly mounted movable closures are provided respectively by the fingers 33 carried by the shafts 3i and the canvas bottom door carried by the basket bottom frame 39.

The basket is of open ended, generally truncated, conical form having its axis disposed perpendicularly to the transverse main frame I of the machine and is swingably mounted in the machine and adapted to be oscillated in a longi tudinal plane, between a forwardly and upwardly swung sheaf receiving position as shown in Fig. 2 in which its front and larger end is directed forwardly and its axis is inclined slightly downward forwardly, and a rearwardly and downwardly swung or upended stook discharging position as shown in Fig. 4, in which said front and larger end is directed vertically downward and its axis is vertical.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have devised an improved stooker which will be positive in operation and which, with the exception of the manual release of the basket to deposit the stock, will be automatic in operation.

As many modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of the same or the scope of the claims, the form shown is to be taken in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense. I

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A stooking machine including a main frame and a land wheel comprising a stocking basket, a swingable support on the frame from which the basket is rotatably mounted, said support being swingable from a raised position to a lowered position and vice versa, said basket being held in sheaf receiving position when the support is raised and in discharging position when the support is lowered, a conveyor for delivering the sheaves to the basket to form the stock when the latter is in the sheaf receiving position, means operated by the swingable support for automatically discharging the stock from the basket when the latter is swung into the stock discharging position, manually operable means for placing the swingable support in operative driving relation with the land wheel for swinging the support from its raised to its lowered position and vice versa, means including a clutch for driving the conveyor from the land wheel, automatic means for rendering said clutch inoperative when said swingable support is placed in driving engagement with the land wheel, to

the liability to distortion and twisting and mainrender the conveyor inoperative, and automatic means for disengaging the drive connection between said swingable support and the land wheel and for reengaging the clutch for the conveyor when said support is returned to its raised position and means for locking the swingable support in its raised position.

2. A construction as claimed in claim 1, wherein means is provided operated by the swinging of the basket support for compressing the stock in the basket as the support is swung from the position in which the basket receives the sheaves to the position in which the stock is dischargeable.

3. A construction as claimed in claim 1, wherein the basket support swinging means includes a driving and a driven member, the latter being in the path of the former and swingable away from the former under weight of the basket and its support to permit the basket and its support to swing into stock dischargeable position by gravity in advance of the driven member, the latter imparting initial movement to the driven memher and subsequently engaging the driven member after discharge of the stock to move the swingable support to raised position. v

4. A construction as claimed in claim 1 including a hinged bottom on the basket, means for locking said bottom against movement when the basket is in sheaf receiving position, means actuated by the swingable support when moving to its lowered position for releasing said locking means and additional means actuated by the movement of said swingable support for moving the released bottom out of the path of the stock being discharged.

5. A construction as claimed in claim 1 in which the frame carries a stationary butt plate positioned to form an inclined end for the basket when said basket is in sheaf receiving position, said butt plate being clear of the swingable support and forming a guide for the butts of the sheaves as the support causes the basket to swing towards stock discharging position.

6. A construction as claimed in claim 1 wherein the basket is of generally truncated conical form with its larger end directed forwardly, means for supporting the basket on its support so that in its sheaf receiving position it is inclined downwardly and forwardly, and a stationary butt plate in front of the forward end of the basket against which the forward or butt ends of the sheaves abut.

7. A stocking machine including a main frame and a land wheel comprising a stocking basket, a swingable support on the frame from which the basket is rotatably mounted, said support being swingable from a raised position to a lowered position and vice versa, said basket being held in sheaf receiving position when the support is raised and in discharging position when the support is lowered, means for actuating the support from the frame including a rotary drive unit, link means eccentrically mounted on the drive unit and connecting with the support to cause said support to lower and then raise upon one complete rotation of the drive unit, a conveyor for delivering sheaves to the basket to form the stook when the latter is in the sheaf receiving position, means for placing the drive unit in operative drive relation with the land wheel to operate the drive unit, means cooperating with the drive unit for driving the conveyor from the land wheel, manually operable means for placing the swingable support in operative driving connection with the driving unit for swinging the support from its raised to its lowered position and vice versa, automatic means for disconnecting the conveyor drive means when the swingable support is placed in driving connection with the drive unit to render the conveyor inoperative and automatic means for disengaging the driving connection between the swingable support and the driving unit and for establishing driving connection between the conveyor and the land wheel, when said support is returned to its raised position and means operated by the swingable support as it moves to its lowered position for automatically discharging the stock from the basket when the latter reaches stook discharging position.

8. A stocking machine comprising a frame, a swingable support mounted on the frame, a stooking basket rotatably carried by the swingable support and including a framework, a pair of opposed side wall members on the framework spaced from each other and inclined inwardly from bottom to top and from front to rear when such basket is in the sheaf receiving position, and a hinged basket bottom between the side wall members, means for swinging the swingable support for rotating the basket into a substantially horizontal but slightly downwardly and forwardly inclined position to receive the sheaves to be stooked through its open top, means for subsequently swinging the swingable means to rotate the basket with the sheaves therein into a substantially vertical position, said inclined side wall members forming a means of retaining the sheaves stocked during rotation of the basket to its vertical position, additional means operated by the swingable support as the basket is rotated to a substantially vertical position for compressing and retaining the sheaves during rotational movement of the basket, means acting in response to the swinging of said swingable support for swinging open the basket bottom when the basket is rotated to discharging position to permit the stock to be discharged from the basket unto the ground.

9. A construction as claimed in claim 8 Wherein a stationary butt plate is provided on the frame at the forward end of the basket to form a temporary end wall therefor to align the butt ends of the sheaves received into the basket when the latter is in the sheaf receiving position, said basket normally urging said sheaves against the butt plate when in sheaf receiving position.

10. A construction as claimed in claim 8 wherein opposed sets of swingable fingers are provided to compress the sheaves in the basket as the basket is upended, and means for actuating the fingers from the basket swinging means as said basket is being rotated to the substantially vertical position.

FRANK WILLIAM TORRAN CE. 

